The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. They are not just Gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in the 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new Gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who will be leading the group), the band has preserved through seven decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated Gospel Soul music groups in the world.

Eagle & The Wolf supported The Blind Boys of Alabama at their Sydney Show.

In the early 1960s, the band sang at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and were a part of the soundtrack to the Civil Rights movement. It’s almost unbelievable that a group of blind, African-American singers, who started out touring during a time of whites-only bathrooms, restaurants and hotels, went on to win five Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and to perform at the White House for three different presidents.

Their most recent album, Talkin’ Christmas!, a collaboration with Bluesfest legend Taj Mahal, continues the band’s streak of creating original and interesting work. It includes new versions of Christmas standards, covers of hidden Gospel gems, and seven brand-new holiday songs – six of which are the first Christmas songs ever penned by the Blind Boys themselves.

We could not be more excited to be welcoming this exceptional band back to Australia!